Balto: The Lone Wolf
by Wolf81
Summary: When an injured she-wolf is found on the outskirts of Nome, Balto saves her and nurses her back to health. Little does he know that this wolf has ties to his past. And it is up to him to help her save the future of all the packs of Alaska.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:. To all my readers who was reading my Wolf's Rain story, I want to take this time and apologize for the lack of update. I hit a bad wall on that one and am trying to decide where to go with it. Rest assured, I will finish it. Until then, I'm trying to become a better writer. I have some help on this one so hopefully I'll become a better writer because of it. I would like to give a shout out to WolfOfRome who without his guidance, this would never have happened. So without further adieu, I give you the prologue.**

The trees blurred together down below as the eagle soared overhead. The majestic bird continued gliding on the wind as it hunted for it's prey. Soon it soared over a clearing where a figure was slowly making it's way towards the woods on the other side. The eagle soared on in the other direction as it let out a piercing cry. The figure's head snapped up sharply at the sound, alert for danger. The beams of moonlight glinted off of silvery fur as blazing golden eyes searched the sky. When she noticed no immediate threat, the she-wolf turned her attention back ahead of her and continued making her way to the forest.

A pitter-pattering noise followed in her wake as fresh blood streamed down her side from numerous gashes as well as from her muzzle and the almost fatal gash on her neck. As she hobbled along, she made sure not to let her right hind leg touch the ground, otherwise she would let out a yelp of pain. She had lost her pursuers a long time ago but she didn't want to take any chances now. As she made her way painfully through the woods, she began to reflect on that morning from hell.

* * *

flashback

The silver she-wolf's eyes opened groggily as she started to wake up for the new day. She felt movement at her belly and smiled down at the two balls of fluff nestling into her fur for warmth, whimpering as the sun started to wake them up. There were two pups, one male and the other female. They both had the look of their mother and father. Silver fur with brown patterned over it. The only thing that distinguished them was the cream colored sock on the right front leg of the male and the blue eyes with gold trimming the pupils on the female. The she-wolf looked over at her mate and smiled while giving a slight chuckle. She still couldn't believe she was lucky enough to have him in her life. Everything about him captivated and fascinated her from the color of his fur that resembled the vibrant shade of sun kissed oak to the unusual way he slept. Like right now. He was sprawled out on his back, hind legs splayed out, forelegs tucked in with his paws curled into his chest. his head was curled around with his muzzle digging into his shoulder. She was surprised he didn't get a crick in his neck for the position looked painful.

She slowly made her way to her feet, the pups whimpering in protest from the absence of warmth. The female pup slowly opened her golden eyes and, after giving a mighty yawn, her teeth clacked together as her muzzle snapped shut.

"Mama?"

"Shh." She gave her daughter a wink and a smile. By this time, the male pup was awake as well and the two pups looked at each other and gave a small giggle for they knew what was about to happen. The she-wolf crept slowly over to her mate with a mischievous grin and when she was close enough, her pups slowly climbed up her back. When they were in position, they gave each other a look, and then, giving little puppy battle cries, launched themselves off their mother and landed on their father's belly.

He gave an "oof" at the rude awakening and jumped to his feet in a flash. The two pups landed on their backs, laughing hysterically while he stood there panting. He looked at his pups and then at his mate who was also laughing. He gave a grin and said, "So, you think that was funny huh Tavy?"

Octavia looked at her mate and said, "Well Nolan, it's one way to get your lazy ass up."

"Oh, really?" He gave a mock growl and jumped at his mate. As soon as her back hit the ground, she kicked her legs at his underbelly, flipping him off of her. She continued the maneuver, rolling backwards and landing on him. She gave a quick lick to his muzzle and then jumped backwards off of him. He gave a smirk as he jumped to his feet. The two continued to play fight for a few minutes, the pups eventually joining in. Soon the pups grew tired and sat, watching their parents and rooting them on. The play fight came to an end when Octavia pinned him again. She laid there on him, staring into his blue eyes. She smiled and then gave him a gentle lick on his muzzle. He licked her back and whispered in her ear, "I love you Tavy."

"I love you too," she said. The two nuzzled for a moment and then she got off him and let him up. He stood up and shook his fur out. Right about that time, They heard paw steps outside of the den. Not long after, a sandy brown wolf with a cream colored belly and sock on its right front paw came into the den.

"Sheena, It's good to see you. Right on time as usual," said Nolan.

"Good morning Alphas. It's a wonderful day today," Sheena said with a bow.

Octavia gave a smile and then looked down at her pups. "Cole, Lana, I want you to be good while we're gone and mind Sheena, okay? And don't go too far from the den unless Sheena is with you, you hear?"

"But Mama," Lana protested.

"Lana, listen to your Mother," Nolan spoke up. "We don't want a repeat of what happened last time. Sheena had to fish you out of the creek."

Lana's ears lowered to her head. "I will Papa"

"Good girl. We'll be back this evening."

Cole and Lana ran to their parents and after exchanging nuzzles said, "We love you Mama. We love you Papa."

"We love you too. Now you kids have fun and try to stay out of trouble please," Nolan said

"Oh, they're no trouble at all," Sheena said. "Now you two lovebirds run along. The pack isn't gonna run itself."

The two alphas gave a smile and made their way out of the den to go assign hunting parties and patrols for the day. After that task was finished, Octavia looked at Nolan and said, "Maybe we should go and check on Reese. Last I talked to Keller, he wasn't doing too good."

Nolan nodded his head and said, "That's a good idea. I've been worried about him since his leg got skewered by that caribou." And with that, they made their way to the healer's den. Once outside, they stopped and Nolan stuck his head in. "Psst. Keller. You here?"

"Yes Alphas. Come on in." When they got inside the den, they saw an middle aged grey wolf sorting his herbs he would need for pain and remedies. He turned to them as they entered and said, "good morning Alphas. What may this old wolf do for you?"

"Ah, watch it Keller," Nolan said with a twinkle in his eyes. You ain't that much older than me."

"That may be true Nolan, but I do recall delivering you after all," he said with mirth in his voice.

"Yeah, still got a mind as sharp as a claw as well."

"Yeah, and don't you forget it either. Now what brings you two here on this fine morning?"

"Well," Octavia said, speaking up. "We came to check on Reese. Is he getting any better?"

"Actually, he's doing much better. The infections gone and the wound is starting to close. I'd say within a month, he will have full mobility back and should be able to join the hunting party again."

"That's good news Keller. That boy had us worried there for a while," Nolan said with a relieved sigh.

"Why don't you two go and see him? He would love the company."

"Thanks Keller," Octavia said as she and Nolan went into a side passage that led to the invalid's quarters. Once there, they saw a black wolf with a white underbelly, white under his muzzle and tail, and white socks on all four paws that went half way up his legs. He was laying slightly on his left side with his right hindleg propped up on a log to keep it elevated off the floor. Octavia took one look at Reese's injury and gave a startled gasp when she saw the gruesome wound. The flesh was ragged at the opening. the muscle torn where the antler went through the leg. She could even see the severed blood vessels. Octavia felt like she was going to be sick right there.

Reese looked up when they appeared and noticed the slack-jawed and queasy look on the female alpha's face. "Trust me," he said with a smile. "It looks a lot worse than it feels."

"How ya feeling buddy?" Nolan asked.

"I'm doing a lot better. thanks for coming for a visit. I swear, Keller's gonna be the death of me," he said with a jovial grin.

"Yeah, Keller may not have the best bedside manner but you know that it's for your own good," Octavia said with a shaky smile of her own."

"Yeah yeah I know. But don't you guys worry. I'll be up and about in no time."

"Well I hope you learned your lesson on hunting caribou. Don't try to be a hero out there. That's why it's called a hunting 'team.' You have to work together," Nolan said sternly.

"Yeah, I learned my lesson on that. And one I'm not likely to forget either," Reese said with a grimace.

Nolan shook his head and said, "alright buddy. We'll let you rest now. Take care of yourself and follow Keller's orders."

"Yes sir," Reese said with a mock salute.

Nolan laughed as he and Octavia made their way back to the main cavern. They said bye to Keller on the way out.

Octavia gave a shudder as she looked at her mate. "I don't normally freak like that, but, that was one of the worst wounds I've ever seen. I've seen plenty of hunting injuries involving antlers but that one's at the top of the list." She gave another shudder just thinking about it.

"Yeah," said Nolan with a grimace. "He's lucky he didn't lose his leg or worse."

Octavia looked at her mate and said, "Let's go check on the den mothers next and make sure they have everything they need."

"Alri-" he was cut off as he saw the leader of one of the scout patrols running up full tilt. As he got closer, Nolan saw blood on his silver and white coat.

"Shawn, what the hell happened?"

"Sir!," Shawn said, trying to catch his breath. "The northern pack are attacking. My whole squad was wiped out!"

"What!" What happened?"

"They had an ambush set up. We never stood a chance. They were on us before we even knew what hit us the smart bastards! Rowe he-he-he saved my life. My throat would have been scattered all over the northern woods if he hadn't taken that hit for me. What the hell man! I thought we had a peace treaty with the northern pack!"

"We did," Nolan said darkly. "Shawn, how bad are your wounds."

"I'll make it sir."

"Are you sure? That wound on your back looks pretty bad."

Shawn looked at his Alpha with a fierce determination in his golden brown eyes. "Sir, Rowe sacrificed himself for me so I could make it back and warn the pack. I don't want that sacrifice to be in vain. I will make it. I want to help any way I can."

"Alright, round up the deltas and omegas. Tell them to get the females, pups and invalids out of here. Octavia, go get Sheena and our pups and go with them. Don't argue. Shawn, once you have everything squared away with them, tell the betas and fighting squads to meet me at the eastern ridge. Now go!" As Shawn turned to go do as he was told, The voice of his Alpha spoke up behind him. "Oh, and Shawn." Shawn turned with a curious look on his face.

"Yes."

"I know it's going to be hard, but try to put all this behind you and focus on the here and now."

"Yes sir," Shawn said and ran off to carry out his orders.

"Nolan," Octavia was looking at him with tears in her eyes. "I can't let you go out there and get killed, We should fight this together."

"No Tavy. I need you looking after our kids. If Something happens to Keller, Sheena will have to tend to the wounded. I can't risk you. Now go and do what I said please."

Octavia just looked at him for a moment and then ran up to him and nuzzled him. He nuzzled her back and said, "I love you my darling."

"I love you too Nolan. Just come back safe please."

"I'll do my best. Now take off."

She gave him one last nuzzle and then ran to their den. As soon as she got there, she saw fighting right outside. 'Damn, they got here quicker than we thought.' Three wolves were attacking Sheena who was trying to defend the pups. She wasn't doing too good either. She was already wounded while the enemy still looked fresh. Octavia let out a snarl as she tackled the wolf who was squaring off with Sheena. She immediately jumped to Sheena's side and bared her fangs at the enemy wolves, hackles raised and fur standing on end. "Sheena, are you okay?"

"I'll live. What's going on here?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, lets take care of these guys." Before another move could be made, a howl broke off in the distance.

Sheena's ears laid flat on her head. "Octavia, there's more coming." The two females and three threatening wolves turned toward the sound of pounding paws against the terrain. A second later, four wolves jumped into the fray, tackling the enemy wolves. Sheena's ears perked up and she and Octavia sighed in relief. It was Tor, beta leader and second in command under Nolan as well as Octavia's childhood friend. His normally snow white fur was matted and muddy. Blood flowed out of several wounds on his body, one of the worst being the gash starting beside his ice blue left eye, crossing over his muzzle and under his golden right eye, running across his lips, and finally ending at his jaw.

Just as he was about to speak, several more northern pack wolves were rushing to the scene. "Alpha, Sheena. Get the pups and get out of here."

"But what about you Tor?"

"We got this. We'll buy you some time but you've got to hurry."

Octavia looked torn for a moment but then nodded her head. "Okay, we will. Just please be careful."

"Will do. Now get the pups and get out of here." And with that, he jumped back into the fray.

Octavia and Sheena ran back to the den to get the pups.

"Mommy, what's going on?"

"No time Cole. We've got to get outta here!" Octavia grabbed Cole and Sheena grabbed Lana and they left the den and took off to the south.

"Where are we going to go?" Sheena asked around a mouthful of scruff.

"We're heading to the outskirts of a human town called Nome. Hopefully they won't follow us there," Sheena replied. The two continued running until they came to the edge of a cliff with a raging river down below and then turned south and west and continued on. The only sounds were the whimpers of the pups, their breathing and the sound of crunching leaves everytime their paws hit the ground. They rounded a bend and continued on. "We should be getting close to a ravine where we can cross safely. When we do, we'll continue to follow Snake River and continue on south towards the town. It's about fifty miles from here. Once we reach the outskirts we should be safe."

As they were running, Octavia caught movement from her left side. Before she could shout a warning, she and Sheena were tackled. Octavia landed hard and Cole went flying out of her mouth. Cole landed with a surprised squeak. She heard a cry off to her left and and looked up just in time to see Sheena and Lana go over the cliff.

"NOOO!" She screamed as she saw her best friend and daughter disappear over the ledge. She jumped to her feet and tried to run to the edge of the cliff when three wolves jumped in front of her. "Where do you think you're going bitch!"

"You bastard!" She snarled and lunged at her aggressors. She tackled one and got a couple of bites in before being knocked off of him. A paw hit her face, the claws tearing into her flesh. She let out a snarl and threw the wolf off of her. She jumped to her feet and immediately launched herself to her left, avoiding a strike. She lunged, her jaws closing around the throat of her assailant. She bit down with all her might and a satisfying crunch was heard. She dropped the now twitching and dead wolf into the snow and faced off with the other one. "Just you and me asshole."

"Oh, really. You might want to rethink that bitch." She heard whimpering from behind her. Turning around, she saw the third wolf that she forgot about holding her son on the ground, jaws around his neck.

"No, please. Don't hurt him. He's just a pup. Please do whatever you want to me but don't hurt my son."

"Anything we want huh? You know what, that's just too bad." He looks at his companion and gives a nod.

"NOOO!" Octavia screams as the other wolf picks her son up and gives him a violent shake. Several crunching sounds could be heard and her son went limp.

"YOU MONSTER! She launches herself at the wolf that just killed her son and tackled him to the ground. As soon as she does, she's knocked off of him and then they gang up on her. Violent snarls are heard as the three fight. Blood and fur fly as the two wolves struggled to kill her and she herself struggled for vengeance and survival. By this time her flanks had been ripped to shreds and the other two weren't faring any better. One of her assailants got his jaws around her right hind leg, biting with everything he had, trying to immobilize her. She gave a shrill yelp of pain as her bone broke in two. He threw her against a tree, her ribs cracking with the impact as she bounced off like a rag doll and fell to the ground. Finally the two wolves got her pinned and the leader had his jaws around her neck.

"Any last words?"

"Yeah, Die bastard!" With those words, she twisted out of his grip causing her neck to get ripped open and lunged off the ground, grabbing his throat in her jaws and ripping it out with such savagery that his spine was even cleaved in two. She was knocked back down again and no longer had the energy to defend herself. She laid there, accepting her fate and her failure to protect her children when the weight that was on top of her was suddenly flung off. She laid there for a second trying to process what just happened. She looked over and saw Nolan finishing off the last wolf. He turned back to her and gave a smile before slumping to the ground.

"Nolan!" With renewed strength, she heaved herself off the ground and stumbled over to him. That's when she saw the fatal wound in his side. His left flank had been savagely ripped open and his throat was mangled. Tears flooded her eyes as she fell down next to him, their noses almost touching. "Nolan. Cole and Lana. They-they-they're dead. And so is Sheena." She started sobbing right there, unable to control her tears.

Nolan, eyes barely open, gave her a brief lick on her muzzle and said, "We did all we could. Now You must live for all of us. There is still something you must accomplish in your life. Aniu spoke to me in a dream. Look for the wolf who isn't and his son and daughter. They will help you fulfill your destiny. Promise my love that you will keep on going. Don't give up. I love you Octavia."

"I-" But it was too late. Nolan had already breathed his last breath and passed on from this world. "I love you too," she whispered. Octavia laid there, weeping into his fur for another hour until she heard howls in the distance. Her mate's last words rang through her head. "For you, my love." She gave him one more lick and then made her way to her feet and stumbled away.

* * *

End flashback.

Thatwas many hours ago and now here she was, limping her way through the woods, near death, leaving a trail of blood and heartache in her wake. She was now at the point that she could hardly put one paw in front of the other. Her movements were getting more and more sluggish until, unable to go any further, she collapsed on her left side in the snow. Her breathing became shallow and she waited for death to take her. What was the point in continuing? She had lost her mate, her pups, her best friend, and her pack. She was a lone wolf now with nothing but heartache and despair. She closed her eyes, waiting to breath her last. She heard the sound of barking in the distance before the darkness overcame her.


	2. Chapter 2

The brightness of the pure white snow was slowly going away as the sun made it's daily descent past the horizon. The dusk blending the last few strays of the warm colors of day into the dark blue, black, and purple of night on the Alaskan frontier. A lone sandy colored she-wolf was making her way through the harsh terrain with what looked like a shivering lump of fur on her back. The she-wolf bit back a growl as she jostled her injured left foreleg. she was moving as carefully as she could, not only because of her leg, but also because of the shivering pup on her back. She'd barely been conscience when she had fished her out of the river. Now the pup had fallen into a healing inducing sleep which is just what she needed. The she-wolf had lost her bearings after falling over the cliff but her sense of smell still worked. She paused for a moment to rest her battered body and to scent the air for any signitures she recognized. She picked up on a scent she knew all to well. The smell of her Alpha. Or more like, his blood. She hurried forward, accidently jostling the pup awake on her back.

* * *

The pup blinked her bleary eyes as she came to. She looked around groggily as she took in her surroundings. Suddenly, her nose twitched when the smell of blood assaulted her senses. This isn't what bothered her though. Being a wolf, the smell of blood is an every day part of life. No, What bothered her was the fact that the blood smelled like her father's. Her ears perked up and she lifted her head to get another scent. As her brain processed the smell, her eyes widened.

"Aunt Sheena? That smells like Papa's blood."

Sheena looked back at the pup for a brief second and then concentrated on where she was going. "You're right. It does. But we can't...Lana, get back here!"

Lana had jumped off of Sheena's back and ran full tilt to where her father's scent was coming from. She heard Sheena calling her name and running after her but she didn't pay the adult wolf no heed. All she could think about was getting to her Papa and making sure he was okay. She continued bounding through the snow as fast as her little legs could carry her. She came to a clearing by a cliff and skidded to a stop, powdery snow flying everywhere. She took in everything at once. The cliff was the same cliff she and Sheena got knocked over. Her eyes were glancing around frantically. Where was her Dad? Lana started sniffing around the area, trying to pinpoint her fathers location. As she was tracing her nose across the ground, she ran muzzle first into a furry lump. She jumped back with a bark of surprise. After she got over her fright, her lower jaw dropped and she couldn't help the wail of sorrow that rose from her. For, laying in front of her was the still body of her brother, Cole. She nudged him and, when he didn't move, she put her nose in front of his. Nothing. Lana then went and laid her head on his chest. No heart beat. Her brother was dead.

When Sheena finally made it to the clearing, hampered as she was by her leg among other injuries, she stopped short. Her eyes took in the scene of Lana's head buried into her brothers chest as sobs racked her body. She started to make her way toward her to try to comfort the pup but her eyes fell upon something else. The body of her alpha and friend, Nolan. She hurried over to his side and nudged him with her muzzle. "Nolan! Come on Nolan, wake up." She went to check his nose to see if he was breathing but knew it was useless to do so. His eyes were partially open and looking off to the side. The usual golden glow of life now a dull, lifeless amber color. She heard movement behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Lana making her way up to her. Sheena almost told her not to look but knew that it couldn't be any worse than finding her brother's corpse. Sheena hung her head and, with tears falling out of her eyes, stepped aside so Lana could make her way over to her Father. Lana looked at her Father's body with a dazed and numb expression on her face. She slowly paced forward and nuzzled into her fathers chest, curling her tail around her. Soon, small whimpers were escaping her as she mourned her Father. Sheena looked up to the sky where the moon was just starting to peak over the rise. She thought back to the pack and how happy they were. Faces of ghosts started going through her mind of all the ones she had seen dead. Cole and Nolan now added to that list. She began to feel this raw, pent up energy surging through her entire being. Energy you could only get from grief and a sense that you have finally hit the end. The sense you have no nerves left. You're at the end of your rope. Sheena started to have a mental and emotional melt down. She couldn't hold in the whimpers of pain any longer. As she continued to cry her pain, she felt a pressure on her right front leg. She looked down and saw Lana leaning into her, trying to offer her comfort as she cried her own grief. Almost in unison, they both raised their muzzles to the heavens and cut loose a powerful howl of pain, suffering and loss. Their howls echoed across the tundra and through the forest they now stood in, letting the world know of the pain that they were in. When their howls finally died down, Sheena was about to lay down so she could curl up around Lana to keep her warm. But before they could do anything, they heard a weak, pained howl from off in the distance.

* * *

The sound of happy barking and a child's laughter could be heard on the breeze as a sled cut through the snow, being pulled by a half breed wolf and a beautiful red husky with white underbelly, legs and the underneath of her muzzle also white. The little girl, who looked no older than ten, continued laughing joyously while her canine companions barked happily and continued running, pulling the sled behind them. They were racing through the woods on the outskirts of Nome Alaska. It had been such a glorious day. It took Rosy weeks of begging but she finally convinced her parents to let Balto and Jenna pull her around Nome on her sled. They had been going at it for a better part of the day and it was one of the most happiest of Rosy's young life. For the first time, she got to feel what it's like to be a real musher. It had been young Rosy's dream for as far back as she could remember to become a real musher. Yeah, women were mushers as well as men, but women didn't run in the dog sled races. She wanted to not only be the first female to race, but also the first female to finish in first place at the Nome Serum Derby and the Anchorage Nationals. She could see it now. The cheering crowds, her standing on the highest podium to receive the trophy they would...

* * *

While Rosy was reveling in her daydream, Balto and Jenna continued bounding along, pulling the sled behind them. It felt good for Balto to get out and stretch his legs on a run and to be harnessed to a sled again. the only thing that made it better was that he was running alongside his beautiful mate, Jenna. He was surprised at her speed and stamina as she was raised by humans as a pup and had never trained for the dogsled. she could almost keep up with him at a full run. He couldn't help but to cut his eyes her way every few seconds as he was captivated by her sleek movements and her toned muscles flexing under her skin and fur. He truely was a lucky dog...er, wolf. Jenna kept noticing this and finally looked over and said, "What?"

Balto looked away, his ears flattening a little from being caught. "It's nothing. You just look really beautiful when you're running. I just can't help but stare."

Jenna gave a smile and bumped his shoulder with hers. "Well, yoi're pretty handsome yourself Wolfy."

Balto smiled at the nickname as he dodged a stump that was in his path. they ran for another mile or so before Rosy called for a stop. Balto and Jenna came to a halt and stood there panting as Rosy got off the sled. She got some meat out of her bag and after offering some to Balto and Jenna, ate some herself. She looked at the sky and said, "Well guys, we should probably head back. I promised Mom and Dad that I would be home before dark." After getting the sled turned around, she yelled, "Mush!" Balto and Jenna leapt ahead and began their run back to Nome.

* * *

Sheena was running full tilt through the woods, trying to locate the position the howl came from with Lana riding on her back. she has been trying to locate the source of that howl for the last ten minutes. She gave another howl, trying to pinpoint the location. After several tense seconds she faintly heard the howl again. This time it was even weaker. She took off again, trying desperately to make her way to the injured wolf. 'I have to hurry,' she thought. Her paws thundered on the ground as she pushed herself even harder, her body screaming in protest at the extra abuse put on it. She continued to ignore the pain of her injuries and of Lana's claws digging into her sides for a more secure grip. Her only thought was to find her injured packmate. She ran for a couple of more minutes before skidding to a halt and looking around wildly. She saw nothing. With her heart in her throat she started sniffing the area for some trace of the injured wolf. There. Her nose picked up the scent of blood. And it smelled very familiar. She followed the trail for several minutes before coming to a mound of blood covered snow. She stopped and took a harder look. The snow pile twitched. She then saw a mis-matched pair of blue and golden eyes turn towards her.

"Tor, is that you?"

A pained whine was heard and it was then she realized that pile of snow was not snow at all, but the white pelt of her packmate, Tor. His tail shifted behind him, weakly wagging in greeting before his eyes closed and he lay still again.

* * *

The sun was starting it's descent below the horizon when Balto, Jenna, and Rosy were nearing the edge of the woods on the outskirts of Nome. Their paws were thudding out a rhythem in the ground as they pulled the sled behind them. Balto and Jenna were barking happily as they saw their hometown coming in sight.

"Almost home," Rosy cheered.

She received happy barks in return. They were almost out of the woods when Balto came to a sudden stop, nose automatically darting into the air and taking a couple of sniffs. Jenna stopped beside him and stared at him curiously.

"Balto, what is it.

"Why did we stop guys?" Rosy asked.

"I smell blood," Balto replied. He tested the air again. "And wolf. Female." He turned to Rosy and gave a whine.

"What is it boy?"

He pulled at his harness with his fangs and whined again.

"you want out of your harness?"

Balto gave a bark.

"Okay boy, hang on.". Rosy got off the sled and made her way over to Balto. "Why do you want out of your harness boy?" she asked. After she undid the last buckle, Balto put his nose to the ground and started tracking the scent through the forest. Rosy ran back to the sled and hopped on. "Come on Jenna, let's follow him." Jenna gave a bark and started pulling Rosy along.

* * *

Balto continued tracking the scent for another half mile when he spotted a blood trail amonst the trees. He followed the blood until he spotted silver fur off in the distance. He ran over to the figure as fast as he could. When he reached the figure he could tell it was indeed a female wolf but she was in bad shape. He was checking for vital signs as Jenna and Rosy made their way up to him. Her breathing was very shallow and had a hitch to it. He next checked for a heartbeat. It was slow and faint, almost non-existent. He knew she didn't have much time. Balto grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and began to gently drag her to the sled.

"How is she," Jenna asked as Balto made his way over.

"Not good. If we don't do something soon, she won't make it.

It was about that time that Rosy spoke up. "That wolf doesn't look so good. We should take her to the vet so she can get better.

Balto looks at her and lets out a whine with his ears drooped.

"oh!" Rosy exclaimed. "They wouldn't take too kindly to a wolf would they?"

Balto looks at her and gave a bark.

"You got an idea boy?"

He barks again and wags his tail. He and Jenna get her on the sled and Balto gets in position again.

"Okay. Let's get you hitched up and you lead.". She got Balto harnessed back up and they were off again.

"What are we going to do Balto," Jenna asked.

"We'll take her back to the trawler. Boris will know what to do." And with that, they were off.


End file.
